Event at the Silverthorne Pavilion benefits high school music program

<b>Summit Daily/Mark Fox</b>The Summit High School jazz band is one of the groups that will perform at Dancing & Delectables Thursday at the Silverthorne Pavilion to raise funds for Summit High School's music program.

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An evening of music, dancing and desserts, a first-time fundraising event for the Summit High School music program, takes place Thursday at the Silverthorne Pavilion.Summit High School's jazz band and chorus will perform swing and ballroom music, along with the local band, Swing Crew. There will also be a silent auction and dessert tasting and contest. "We thought it would be a chance for the jazz band to get out there and perform for the community," said Linda Shea, director of instrumental music at Summit High School (SHS). "It's also an event where people will have the opportunity not just to watch, but to participate and dance too. And it is an event for the whole family. This is a way to raise money too, since we have a limited budget. I think the idea of including the silent auction will help us a lot."The silent auction features items donated by local businesses including ski rentals, ski goggles, an Arapahoe Basin season pass, clothing, massages, acupuncture sessions, haircuts, chiropractics, pediatric dental care, dance instruction, taekwondo instruction, recreation passes, a Frisco Adventure Park pass, pet supplies, oil changes, car detailing and more.According to volunteer organizer Thekla Schultz, donations have covered all of the event's expenses already, so the funds from admission tickets and the silent auction are going exclusively to the music program, helping with the purchase of musical instruments, for example. "We've been working on this for a couple months and just found that people are so willing to donate. It's been remarkable," said Schultz.Guests can refuel their energy by tasting desserts provided by supporters, including pumpkin cheesecake, vanilla bread pudding with chocolate sauce, brownies, candy, cake, fudge, chocolate mousse, vanilla Bavarians, assorted cookies and other creme desserts. These delectables are part of a dessert competition, and are accompanied by an Italian soda bar, coffee and tea.For kids ages 3-12, there's a supervised dance floor. Healthy snacks, fancy stage lights, a disco ball, hula-hoops and other toys and amenities should keep them busy while mom and dad enjoy the evening. And if anyone does not have a dance partner, not a problem. Making sure everybody has a good time, event organizers created "come dance with me" signs available to call a dance host to the rescue. The idea for the event, called Dancing & Delectables, came from Thekla Schultz and her husband Merle. Now volunteering at the high school, the Schultzs came from a community in Northern California that organized a similar event for their local band, so when they moved to Summit, they approached Shea with the idea of hosting something similar in the county. "There's been recently a lack of swing and ballroom available in Summit County so this is a great opportunity for people who like to do that kind of dancing," Thekla Schultz said. "Even if people don't enjoy dancing they can come enjoy the music and the food." The Schultzs have also been volunteering to teach an after-school swing dancing program at the high school. Twelve or so students are regular participants. "We are swing dancers and have been dancing together about 10 years," Schultz said. "It's so much fun we wanted to come pass it on to young folks."Recently, the students did a news clip with Summit County TV. "The kids are wildly enthusiastic on the clip," Schultz said. At Dancing & Delectables, the band will play - but when it's not playing, many of its members will be on the dance floor. "People will enjoy the live music," Shea said. "It will also be fun for us to perform with professionals. This is a unique event and swing music is uplifting and exciting. ... my hope is that a lot of people will show up and want to do this again, and that the event creates more swing dancing opportunities in the county."